Siddaramaiah To Be Felicitated by Maharashtra Congress, NCP on Sunday

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be felicitated in Maharashtra by the state's Pradesh Congress Committee as well as ally NCP on Sunday, to mark the massive victory of the Congress in last month's Assembly elections.

According to the itinerary released by the Chief Minister's office, Siddaramaiah will fly from here to Kolhapur, from where he would drive to Sangli by road to attend a programme organised by the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee.

This would be Siddaramaiah's maiden visit to Maharashtra after becoming the Chief Minister for the second time. He would then fly to Baramati -- on invitation of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar -- to attend a function on the birth anniversary of 18th century Maratha queen Ahilyadevi Holkar organised by Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Vikas Pratishthan, where he would also be felicitated, sources close to the Karnataka chief minister said.

Pawar wrote to Siddaramaiah on June 9 inviting him to Baramati -- the NCP leader's home turf in Pune district -- saying the people of Maharashtra would like to felicitate him.

Pawar said the Karnataka Assembly elections have demonstrated the strength of ''secular forces'' and have again paved the way for a change in the political dynamics of the nation.

"The reverberations of the elections have reached and permeated through Maharashtra and the people here are enthused to welcome and felicitate you in Maharashtra," Pawar, a Rajya Sabha member and former chief minister of Maharashtra, said in the letter.

According to Pawar, the Dhangar community, which has consistently supported him throughout his political career, has taken the initiative to invite and felicitate Siddaramaiah. Leaders of the community wished to felicitate Siddaramaiah on the occasion of Ahilyadevi Holkar's birth anniversary. "I do personally invite you on behalf of the community and the people of Maharashtra," Pawar added. In the May 10 Karnataka elections, the Congress ousted the BJP from power, winning 135 seats in the 224-member Assembly. BJP got just 66 seats and the Janata Dal (Secular) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda managed only 19.